The Howling Cherry Blossom
by Kairi-Ichimaru15
Summary: Sakura Haruno is having her peaceful life threatened by a woman thought dead. Slight Sakura/Naruto
1. Revenge of the Gelel Wolf

Hi! This story is for Chaoticlover, who came up with the story and helped write it.

I don't own Naruto, or Naruto the Movie the Stone of Galel *The story take place after it*

Chapter 1 - Revenge of the Galel Wolf

The dust settled around the remnants of the large wind chimes. Underneath the rubble a female body lay motionless, but not dead. The lone survivor of the battle of the Stone of Galel, Fugai started to wake up. She unearthed herself from the large wind chimes, she took a sharp intake of fresh air that burned her lungs. Fugai wanted revenge against the Konoha ninja that killed her master and left her for dead, and would stop at nothing until she got what she wanted.

The brown haired warrior started off in the direction of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Her target: Sakura Haruno, the girl that had killed her. The journey was dangerous even for the wolf-like maiden.

Seeing the disadvantage of being in her human form, Fugai transformed into her werewolf form, thus running faster and making less noise. Fugai tracked the ninja's scent for miles, finally coming to stop at the edge of Konoha's dense forest. There she waited until nightfall. Fugai snuck into the village and followed her target's scent. Fugai made her way up to Sakura's bedroom window, where the girl lay in a peaceful slumber, unaware of the older woman's presence. Fugai leaned over the girl's sleeping form, with a smirk she pulled the Galel Stone from her pocket and sealed it away inside Sakura.

"Sweet dreams, they will be your last" Fugai whispered and leapt out of the window and ran off into the forest. Sakura woke with a strange feeling. She blinked open her sapphire blue eyes and looked around her room. She detected a faint chakra in the air, a familiar one at that. Sakura got out of bed and walked over to her vanity mirror to get ready for today's mission. Sakura quickly glanced at herself before she started brushing her hair. Sakura then realized her eyes were a deep sapphire blue and her hair was long and white as snow. Her normal delicate facial features now took the menacing form of a wolf's. She fell on the floor with a loud thud. Sakura curled into the fetal position and rocked back and forth. A familiar voice sounded in her head.

"Hello, Sakura Haruno." the feminine voice purred.

"Who said that?" Sakura asked.

"I did, you may not know me. I am Fugai, the woman you nearly killed in the mines of Galel" Fugai answered.

"But you DID die, I saw it with my own eyes!" Sakura shouted inside her mind.

"Not everything is how it is perceived to be, I used my sonic howling abilities to shatter the massive stones that were caving in on me."

"How are you speaking inside my mind?" Sakura questioned.

"Telepathic link courtesy of the Galel stone" Fugai replied simply.

'The Galel stone? But that means..." Sakura began.

"Not all of the stones were destoyed? Correct. I managed to find the last one besides my own that is. In case you're wondering where the stone is, I put it inside you." Fugai explained.

"So you did THIS to me? I'm a monster!" Sakura shouted.

"Blame the Galel Stone inside of you. Technically you're a werewolf." Fugai stated plainly.

"A werewolf? But how? The Galel stone couldn't have done this alone." Sakura pondered

"I linked my Galel Stone to your's, so that's why you're a werewolf, except your eyes are blue and mine are red. Do you know why?" Fugai asked

"No, why would you do this to me?" Sakura asked

"Simple, I want revenge. By turning you into a werewolf your miserable life will be ruined and I can watch you slowly fall from your high pedestal." Fugai hissed.

"Revenge, you want revenge because I nearly killed you, that's a bit excessive."

"Who asked you?" Fugai snapped back.

"Ruining my life is the solution? Because I nearly killed you?" Sakura smirked.

"Wait and see. That untameable power will eventually take over your body and kill all those who you hold dear to you." Fugai hissed.

"I'll fight it! Even if it takes my life I won't let it hurt the people I care about!" Sakura vowed.

"You can try. But all your attempts will be proven futile." Fugai stated. Fugai's voice faded away.

"What am I going to do? I can't go out looking like this! I need someone who can help me, but who?" Sakura thought to herself.

"Naruto! He could help, maybe." Sakura thought. Sakura went out to her balcony and scaled the roof tops. Finally stopping on Naruto's roof. She jumped down in front of his window and seen he was enjoying a breakfast of instant ramen in a cup.

"Naruto?" Sakura called as she hid from his sight. Naruto nearly jumped out of his seat when he heard her voice.

"Sakura? Is that you?" Naruto asked as he walked over to the window.

"Don't come any closer Naruto!" Sakura ordered. Naruto stopped dead in his tracks.

"Is there something wrong Sakura?" Naruto asked. Sakura took a deep breath.

"You have to promise you won't tell anyone about this Naruto."

"About what?"

"Just promise you won't tell!"

"Alright, I promise. Now what's the matter Sakura?" Naruto asked. His voice filled with concern over his friend and long time crush. Sakura came in through the window and Naruto saw her new form.

"What happened Sakura?" Naruto asked as he examined Sakura's facial features.

"A woman named Fugai did this. She survived the battle of the Galel stones and wants revenge. She implanted the only Galel stone left inside me, besides her own of course." Sakura explained.

"Then she turned you into this form?" Naruto asked. Sakura nodded.

"Then we have to find a way to get the stone out of you! I promise you Sakura, we will find a way. Believe it!" Naruto promised.

'Thank you, Naruto." Sakura said softly with a hint of blush on her cheeks.


	2. Naruto's Helping Hand

For Choaticlover, who came up with the idea and helped write it. Remember to review!

Chapter 2 - Naruto's Helping Hand

"Thank you, Naruto." Sakura said with a hint of blush on her cheeks. Sakura's wolf tail began wagging behind her happily. Naruto laughed.

"I guess that means you're happy?" Naruto asked. Sakura looked behind her and saw the tail.

"When did that get there?" She asked herself frantically.

"Maybe we should ask Grandma Tsunade for help, Sakura" Naruto suggested. Sakura thought about it for a moment. Lady Tsunade may know a way to extract the Galel stone, so Sakura agreed with Naruto's plan. The duo headed for the Hokage's mansion.

Tsunade slept soundly on stacks of unfinished paperwork when Naruto and Sakura barged in.

"Hey Grandma Tsunade we need your help!" Naruto shouted at the sleeping woman. The Hokage opened her hazel eyes at the blond haired boy.

"What do you want Naruto?" Tsunade grumbled.

"Lady Tsunade, I need your help" Sakura said as she stepped from behind Naruto. Tsunade's eyes widened at the sight of Sakura's form.

"What happened to you Sakura?" Tsunade asked her student.

"Well, in order to tell you that you have to know the whole story" Sakura began. Naruto and Sakura then took turns explaining what had happened in the mines of Galel and about the Galel stones.

"And now this woman named Fugai implanted the last Galel stone inside of me and turned me into a werewolf." Sakura finished.

"This Fugai woman, why did she turn you into a werewolf?" Tsunade asked.

"She wants revenge because her master was killed by us Hidden Leaf ninja, and I nearly killed her" Sakura replied. Tsunade nodded.

"We need to remove that stone" Tsunade said. Sakura nodded. Tsunade and Sakura walked together towards the hospital, where Tsunade attempted to remove the stone. Naruto waited patiently outside the hospital for his friend. Tsunade used many medical techniques to try and remove the stone, but to no avail. Sakura heard Fugai's voice again.

"Foolish girl, the Galel stone can't be removed by conventional methods." Fugai stated.

"Then how?" Sakura asked. Fugai chuckled.

"You really think I would tell you the secret to removing a Galel stone? You're more of a fool than I thought before." Fugai laughed. Her voice faded away.

"Nothing is working, I'm afraid I can't help you Sakura." Tsunade said solemnly. Sakura sat up from the operating table.

"There has got to be something we can do." Sakura said. Tsunade thought for a moment.

"I'll put together a team to track Fugai down, your orders will be to track her down and bring her back here so the Intel division can find out how to get the stone out of you." Tsunade ordered. Sakura nodded.

"Kiba Inuzuka, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno and Kakashi Hatake, your new mission is to track down Fugai and bring her back to the village alive." Tsunade ordered the four ninja that stood in front of her.

"Yes ma'am!" Everyone nodded and then headed out the door. The group stopped by Sakura's house so Kiba and Akamaru could get Fugai's scent.

"Me and Akamaru got her scent, she head towards the forest after she left here" Kiba informed the group. Akamaru confirmed with a bark. The group then headed to the forest with Kiba and Akamaru leading the way.

"You'll never be able to find me Sakura" Fugai said telepathically to Sakura.

"Why not?" Sakura asked.

"You're tracking my scent, which will fade away before you reach my location" Fugai answered.

"Then why don't you tell me where you are so we can settle this once and for all?" Sakura asked. Fugai laughed menacingly.

"Well it would be fun to crush you, so why not? I'm in Temujin's Continent. Don't take too long, I want to make your death slow and painful." Fugai said and laughed again before her voice faded away.

"Fugai's in Temujin's Continent" Sakura informed the group as she attempted to hid her face under her cloak.

"That's very far from here, it could take days to get there" Kakashi stated.

"What are you doing Sakura?" Naruto asked. Sakura continued to hide her face from their sight.

"I don't want you guys to see me like this." Sakura said.\

"Sakura, we're your friends. You don't have to hide it from us." Naruto said. Sakura gained a little confidence from his words. She let the hood of her cloak fall down, revealing to the three others her snowy white hair and wolf like features. Her tail popped out from underneath the bottom of her cloak. Akamaru jumped from Kiba's jacket and circled around Sakura. He then let out a bark and nuzzled against Sakura's leg.

"See? Akamaru thinks you look really cool." Kiba said. Sakura laughed a little. She pet Akamaru on his head. Akamaru's tail wagged behind him gleefully. Akamaru then returned to Kiba's jacket. The group of four then started their way towards Temujin's continent.

After days of traveling the four ninja reached the war torn land where Temujin came from. The group searched for Fugai's scent but could not find it.

"Maybe we should split up to cover more ground?" Naruto asked.

"Good idea Naruto, Kiba and I will search the south and you and Sakura search the north." Kakashi ordered. The group agreed and started off in their proper directions.

Naruto and Sakura walked for a short time in silence.

"Thanks again, Naruto" Sakura broke the awkward silence. Naruto blinked a few times before his brain registered Sakura was thanking him again.

"That's what friends are for!" Naruto smiled. Sakura smiled sadly.

"Something bothering you?" Naruto asked.

"I feel like I'm turning into a monster, and I don't know what to do."

"You're not a monster, you're Sakura Haruno from the Village Hidden in the Leaves" Naruto reassured her.

"You seem to know a lot about this sort of thing"

"I was treated like a monster so I know how it feels, you feel alone and scared. I felt the same way. But you're not alone, I'm here. You don't have to be afraid, I will help you even if it cost me my life you have my word." Naruto said. Sakura smiled.

"Thank you, Naruto. You're a great friend."


	3. A Fateful Reunion

For Choaticlover. I don't own Naruto. Or this Idea, I just wrote.

Chapter 3 - A Fateful Reunion

Naruto and Sakura continued to walk for quite sometime, the latter secretly glancing at the former in a new light. Sakura hadn't felt like this toward Naruto before, she had always thought him to be rather annoying and obnoxious. Now Sakura took a certain liking to the blonde, as possibly more than friends. As they were walking down a lone dirt road, a cloaked traveler bumped into Sakura. The hood from the cloak fell back and revealed the traveler to be a familiar face, Temujin's face to be exact.

"Temujin?" Sakura asked looking at the other blonde. The other blonde smiled as he recognized the first blonde.

"Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno, it's nice to see you again. Though you don't look like yourself Sakura." Temujin greeted. Sakura's gaze fell to the ground.

"It's a long story" Sakura said.

"Perhaps you could tell me the story after a nice cup of tea at my home?" Temujin offered his friends. Naruto and Sakura agreed. Temujin leaded his friends to his humble abode.

"Here we are, please make yourself comfortable while I get the tea ready." Temujin said as he walked off into the kitchen. Naruto and Sakura sat down around the table. A few minutes later Temujin returned with the tea. After he passed out the cups and poured his guests and himself tea, he sat down at the head of the table in between Sakura and Naruto.

"So how did you get to your present state Sakura?" He asked the pink haired girl.

"Fugai, she survived and had a Gelel stone. She wanted revenge so she came after me. She implanted the Gelel stone inside me and turned me into a werewolf. She's planning something with me as the lead pawn." Sakura explained. Temujin was speechless at the new information. After letting it sink into his mind he spoke.

"A Gelel stone? But that would be impossible, there are none left."

"She said she found it in the ruins" Sakura said.

"You've spoken to her then?" Temujin asked. Sakura nodded.

"She's been taunting me through a telepathic link, and I've been compiling bits and pieces of clues to her plan. She said she was here in your homeland, but not where at on your homeland. We're having to search for her on foot."

"Kakashi~Sensei and our friend Kiba are searching in the other direction." Naruto added onto Sakura's explanation. Sakura nodded at the addition. Temujin put his hand to his chin and started to think very hard about this.

"Do you know where she could be?" Sakura asked Temujin. Temujin thought harder. Then it hit him.

"Of course! There's a giant abandoned wolf den in the outskirts of town, a perfect hiding spot for her." Temujin informed. The duo nodded.

"Thanks Temujin!" Sakura said. Temujin smiled.

"Of course. I will be providing you assistance in your mission, since this is related to me as well."

"It'll be cool fighting with you again Temujin!" Naruto grinned. Temujin nodded.

"Please stay here and get rest some tonight. I could show you around town while we find Kakashi and Kiba." Temujin offered. Sakura nodded.

"Thanks Temujin, you're a great friend!"

"Sure thing."

"We should go find the others now" Sakura said. The two boys nodded. Sakura sent them on the wild goose chase while she found a more comfortable outfit for her werewolf form.

After browsing through a rather small collection of clothes Sakura found the perfect outfit. It was a sleeveless long neck zipper shirt that ended at the end of her ribcage, a cobalt blue skirt with slits in the front and back revealing her black knee length shorts, long cobalt blue boots. She found a pair of matching black fingerless gloves and wore a pair of long cobalt blue ones underneath them. She tightened her Leaf ninja headband and paid for the garments. The old woman at the counter was skeptical at first but when the money hit her hand she forgot all her problems with Sakura's appearance.

"Do you have a changing room, Miss?" Sakura asked politely. The woman nodded.

"In the back to the left." The old woman answered and went back to counting her money. Sakura walked into the dressing room and changed into her new clothes. She put her old clothes in her tan colored bag she wore around her waist. Sakura then left the store and waited for the others. Naruto, Temujin, Kakashi, Kiba, and Akamaru found her after a short while. Naruto nearly fainted at Sakura's new appearance.

"Nice outfit Sakura!" Naruto complemented. Sakura would normally accuse Naruto of being a pervert but now he was the only one who understood her, so instead she said:

"Thank you, Naruto. I felt it would look better with my werewolf form." Sakura smiled.


	4. The Hunt for the Gelel Wolf that You

Chapter 4 - The Hunt for the Galel Wolf that You

Sakura and the others walked to Temujin's apartment in an awkward silence. Sakura began to feel a strange feeling in the center of her chest. Unbeknownst to her , Sakura's features changed back to their human form. Naruto glanced at her and seen this.

"Sakura! Your face is normal again!" Naruto exclaimed. Sakura felt around her face. Naruto was right. Her appearance was again human, but only for a short while. Her appearance changed yet again to the werewolf form.

"Well, it was normal again." Sakura stated blandly. Naruto and the group stared in awe while the transformation happened a few more times.

"What's going on?!" Sakura asked Fugai through a telepathic link.

"The Gelel stone is unstable because I tampered with it." Fugai said with a certain satisfaction in her voice.

"I will kill you for this" Sakura hissed.

"You can try" Fugai said as her voice faded. Sakura's transformations had stopped, for the time being. She took this time to learn about her new form. She had powers, and a lot of them. She need to master a few of these skills to beat Fugai. So she began with elasticity, the ability to stretch her limbs and body to great lengths. She started by using trees and stretching between them until she couldn't stretch anymore, this was about 20 feet. Next, Sakura took on the challenge of mastering her wolf like prowess. She started with her speed and agility, then her strength. By the time Sakura had mastered this her speed was faster than sound, she was as fluid and agile as water itself, and stronger than the Nine Tails. Though this power was great, she needed more than just that to beat Fugai. She trained harder and eventually gained mastery of a strange power to copy a jutsu to the slightest detail, then save the knowledge for later. Using her previous knowledge of Choji's expansion jutsu, Sakura used her chakra and infused it with the Gelel stone, giving her the power to mimic the jutsu. Sakura felt strange being taller than Temujin's apartment. It stood a good 6 feet below her, making her feel rather uneasy. This new talent completed Sakura's training at Temujin's. The group rested there for the night, knowing what would happen the next day. Sakura was certainly nervous but under the full moon, Sakura felt a certain calm wash over her. Sakura sat atop Temujin's roof staring at the moon, enchanted by it's gentle glow. Little did she know Naruto had snuck up behind her. Naruto had let his footsteps make a little noise to let her know her was there. Sakura was startled by his appearance and did the first jutsu that came to mind: Naruto's Sexy Jutsu. Naruto's nose bled for quite sometime after that.

"You got the Sexy jutsu down pat." Naruto complimented. Sakura smiled and continued to stop the bleeding.

"I've seen you use it so many times on Iruka sensei, I would be worried if I didn't." Sakura laughed.

"So is that a new power of yours?" Naruto asked referring to copying jutsu.

"Sort of. When I infuse the Gelel stone with my chakra I can memorize any jutsu and copy it. I can even control my transformation when I infuse my chakra." Sakura explained.

"It's kind of like Sasuke's sharingan, isn't it?" Naruto asked. Sakura twitched slightly at the mention of Sasuke.

"In a way, I suppose." Sakura replied quietly.

"You're still really upset about him leaving, aren't you?"

"Not as much, though the next time I see him he's as good as dead!" Sakura ranted to the blonde. Naruto laughed.

"Sasuke's gonna be in big trouble when I bring him back!" Naruto smiled.

"You bet he is!" Sakura laughed with him. Before they knew it, they were sitting less than two inches apart. Naruto smiled at Sakura, who blushed a bright shade of crimson.

"Good night, Naruto" Sakura said and kissed his forehead. Naruto's face resembled that of a tomato as he walked back inside. Sakura giggled to herself as she turned back to the moon. Sakura went back inside and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning was nerve racking. Sakura awoke pumped and ready to do anything, until she realized what was going to happen. Naruto had attempted to make her feel better at breakfast, but ended up making her more nervous than before. Sakura and the rest of the group set out for the abandoned wolf den on the edge of town. The journey up to the cavern was steep, and riddled with jagged rocks. Sakura had no problem climbing with her new wolf like abilities. Akamaru and Kiba tried to pinpoint Fugai's scent , to no avail. The wolf den had too many different scents for them to distinguish. Sakura, being the werewolf of the group used the ability of the wolf to track down her prey. The group traveled through one dark tunnel after the other, guided by Sakura. When they reached the end of the tunnel, Fugai awaited them. With an army of wolves behind her.

"Nice to see you made it" Fugai smirked.


	5. Sakura VS Fugai: The Final Clash

Chapter 5 - Sakura vs. Fugai: Fight of the Galel Wolves

Sakura and Fugai stood locked in a glaring match. The wolves behind Fugai bared their fangs at Naruto, Kakashi, Kiba, and Timujin. Akamaru bared his own fangs at the menacing beast. Sakura focused her chakra on the Gelel stone, thus granting her ability to copy Fugai's moves. Her features molded into a werewolf, as did Fugai's. Naruto and the others stood ready for the wolves to attack. Fugai ordered the wolves to attack with a piercing howl. Sakura took the defensive and used the Shadow clone jutsu.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" A thousand werewolf Sakuras' poofed into the den. The Sakura clones easily took out the wolf army. Sakura then used her tremendous speed and in an instant she was behind Fugai. Sakura attempted to kick Fugai's feet out from under her, but to no avail. Fugai jumped over Sakura's kick and retaliated with her own kick. Fugai managed to hit Sakura's shoulder, knocking her back a few feet. Sakura got to her feet quickly. The wolf army had reappeared out of thin air, and was now going against Naruto and the others. Sakura growled when Naruto was knocked to the ground, but kept her calm. Getting frustrated would solve nothing. Sakura was too far away from Fugai to strike, unless...

"Heh, I've got a trump card after all." Sakura thought to herself. She whipped her left arm around and made it stretch over to Fugai with astonishing speed. Sakura used her chakra infused strength she slammed her fist down on Fugai. This knocked Fugai across the den. Fugai's forehead began to bleed. Taking this advantage Sakura quickly copied the Expansion Jutsu, and again hit Fugai with a devastating blow. Fugai managed to stand on her feet once more. Fugai let out a sonic howl that knocked Naruto unconscious, and Sakura back to her normal size. Sakura looked over to her longtime comrade and friend, only to see a still blonde figure liaying on the ground. Sakura became enraged that Fugai had harmed Naruto. Fugai then attacked with the sonic howl consecutively, giving Sakura hardly anytime to dodge. Sakura leapt into the air with great agility and dodged the blasts with fluid grace. She dodged the blasts with ease, until finally she reached Naruto's side. He lay there, hardly breathing.

"Sa..ku..ra..." Naruto breathed as he lost consciousness. Sakura was furious now. Sakura faced Fugai. Fugai laughed like a maniac.

"What's the matter? Did I kill your little boyfriend? Too bad girly, that's just the way life is. Unfair." Fugai smirked.

"You will pay for this Fugai!" Sakura screamed as she lunged at Fugai. She jabbed at her again and again, each time Fugai dodged. Sakura was letting her rage overpower her actions, causing her to be careless. Fugai began to attack Sakura, gaining the upperhand quickly. Fugai overpowered the younger female and was now gloating about her soon to be victory.

"You're going to die here Sakura Haruno, by my hands!" Fugai hissed. Naruto regained consciousness as Fugai threatened Sakura.

"I won't let that happen. I gave Sakura my word, you will not harm her!" Naruto proclaimed as he stood back up.

"Naruto!" Sakura gasped. Naruto rushed to her aid.

"Don't worry about me Sakura, now let's take this crazy wolf lady down!"

"I have a plan Naruto" Sakura whispered Naruto her plan.

"Are you done?" Fugai asked. "I'd like to get back to killing you. No matter how good of a plan you came up with, it will be futile."

"That's where you're wrong Fugai." Naruto shouted.

"You know, I should be thank you Fugai" Sakura said.

"For what? I plan to kill you and you thank me? You must really want to die!"

"I'm thanking you because this whole ordeal has taught me a valuable lesson" Sakura replied.

"What lesson? I just wanted to kill you leaving me for dead.!"

"At first I thought I had to fight this battle on my own, because if I were to reach out for help I would be rejected. But I've learned my friends have my back no matter what I look like. I've learned that as long as I believe in myself others will believe in me too. That's what this has taught me, to accept my fate as a werewolf is a fair enough exchange for such a valuable life lesson" Sakura explained.

"Sakura..." Naruto looked over to the blue eyed werewolf. He then focused his gaze on Fugai. He focused his chakra in the palm of his hand and held it out to Sakura. Sakura had focused the power of the Galel stone, along with her own chakra in the palm of her hand. Sakura merged her chakra with Naruto's creating the Galel Rasengan. Naruto withdrew his hand from the powerful ball of energy and gave Sakura a nod. Sakura charged at Fugai with all her strength. Holding the Galel Rasengan behind her as she ran gave her enough momentum to slam the blast directly into Fugai's chest. Fugai's Galel stone resonated with Sakura's and Fugai merged with Sakura. With the other werewolf now merged with her, Sakura was knelt down on the ground. Tears stung her eyes as she remembered the moments before Fugai merged with her.

"You're very right Sakura. That is a valuable lesson, that I need to take to heart. Could you ever forgive me?" Fugai asked quietly as her spirit was pulled into Sakura's body.

"Yes, I forgive you, my friend" Sakura whispered as Fugai's spirit had finished merging with her own.

Sakura stood up and turned to look at her comrades. Naruto was grinning that goofy smile of his.

"We did it!" He cheered.

"Yeah, we sure did" Sakura said thoughtfully.

"Woah! Sakura! You look older!" Kiba exclaimed. Sakura looked down at her figure. Sure enough, she was now Fugai's age and was wearing Fugai's dark blue armor. With a little willpower and her Galel stone infused chakra, Sakura changed back to her own age.

"Woah, can you change between ages just by thinking about it?" Timujin exclaimed.

"I guess so!" Sakura chuckled. This could be rather useful with missions in the future. Her armor reverted back to it's cobalt blue colored out.

"You can even change between armor!" Timujin was baffled by this.

"Merging with Fugai gave me a lot of new abilities. Maybe I'll become Chunin soon!" Sakura thought to herself.

"Now how about when we get back to the village, we grab a bowl of ramen?" Naruto asked with a smile.

"I'd like that, Naruto" Sakura replied. Though really, Sakura was dieing to try out Fugai's sonic howl attack. As the group was moving towards the exit, the den's roof started to crumble and collapse. The group ran for the exit, but Naruto tripped and fell. Sakura took in a deep breath and used the sonic howl on the collapsing stone. The stone turned to dust and Sakura pulled Naruto out of the way before more stones collapsed on top of him. The duo then rushed to the exit and joined their comrades.

After staying another night with Timujin to rest for the long journey home, the team of Kakashi, Kiba, Akamaru, Naruto and Sakura headed back to Konoha. The five reached the gates of Konoha. Kakashi went to Lady Tsunade to turn in his report for the mission, Kiba and Akamaru went home and Naruto and Sakura walked to Ichiraku Ramen. They took their seats and waited for their ramen.

The next day, Lady Tsunade informed the village of Sakura's new form. At first the villagers were nervous about having another powerful being in the village, but came to realize it was still the same Sakura Haruno they knew before. Her parents loved their daughter, and seen the good in her no matter what anyone else said. But they weren't the first to accept her as she was now. The first to accept her was none other than the #1 Hyperactive Knuckleheaded Ninja, Naruto Uzumaki, who now stood at her side as Tsunade explained what had happened.

**The End, for now. Sequel coming soon!**


End file.
